FWCS hires new administrators

The Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of School Trustees hired several new administrators at its meeting Monday, July 27, including a new director of nutrition services and a new principal.
Candice Hagar, Director of Nutrition Services
Candice Hagar joins FWCS with 30 years of food and nutrition service experience, including several years working with FWCS. She started her career in food service in 1979 as a baker, cook, line server and dish washer at Elmhurst High School and Kekionga Middle School. She went on to work as a cafeteria manager in East Allen County Schools, the director of food services for Canteen Corp., the contracted food service provider for Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, director of nutritional services for Parkview Whitley Hospital and most recently the corporate director of nutritional services for TLC Management Inc. Hagar replaces Marsha Bragg who retired earlier this year after 35 years with FWCS.
Tim Captain, High School Area Coordinator
Tim Captain joined FWCS in 1998 as a teacher at Fairfield Elementary School. During the 2003-04 school year, he served as an administrative intern at Indian Village Elementary. Since 2004, he has served as an area technology coordinator.
Mark Harmon, Middle School Area Coordinator
Mark Harmon joined FWCS in 2002 as a science teacher at South Side High School. During the 2008-09 school year he served as an administrative intern at Anthis Career Center and Wayne High School.
Adam Swinford, Northwood Middle School Principal
Adam Swinford joined FWCS in 1998 as a substitute teacher. In 2000, he was hired as a physical education teacher at Indian Village Elementary and a year later moved to then Geyer Middle School (now Towles Intermediate School). In 2005, he became the athletic director at Wayne High School. Last year, he moved to Northwood Middle School as the assistant principal where he takes over as principal this year. He replaces Eric Lambright, who left the district.
Sandra Sunderland-Willis, Director of Pyramid for Success
Sandra Sunderland-Willis joined FWCS in 1970 as a teacher at Lindley Elementary School. From 1979 to 1991, she taught students with emotional disabilities, and in 1991, she became a special education resource teacher and consulting teacher for students with emotional disabilities. In 1995, she took the position of Reading Recovery teacher leader, working with struggling readers, training teachers and overseeing the Reading Recovery program. In 2000, Sunderland-Willis served as the curriculum coordinator for English/language arts, and she has been a special education specialist since 2003. In her nearly 40 years with FWCS, she has worked with students at every grade level, including adult education. As director of the Pyramid for Success, she will work with principals, academic and student services departments, counselors and others to develop academic and readiness-to-learn interventions for students needing additional assistance either as remediation or to be challenged at a higher level.

With nearly 30,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is one of the largest school districts in Indiana. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 50 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as science and math, communication, fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level. In high school, students can choose from the prestigious International Baccalaureate program, Project Lead the Way or New Tech Academy as well as other rigorous academic and specialty training programs.